Winslow Clark Gilley

FRAMINGHAM – Winslow Clark “Dick” Gilley, a ten-year resident of Brookdale Cushing Park Assisted Living in Framingham and formerly of Ashland and Natick, passed away peacefully on Monday, October 13, 2025, at the age of 104, following a brief battle with pneumonia.

Born September 2, 1921 in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Dick was the only child of Marion Kempton Clark and Harry Paul Winslow Whitney. After their divorce, his mother married Charles Rodney Gilley, who adopted Dick as his son. He grew up in Needham, graduating from Needham High School, class of 1940. As a child, he learned to play the piano, enjoyed drawing and woodworking. Summers were happily spent at Mousam Lake in Maine, where he met his lifelong friend Mat Leupold, who later became his brother-in-law.

Dick attended Northeastern University, where he studied drafting, and went on to have a 41-year career with Raytheon, retiring as a Senior Mechanical Designer. Among his many notable contributions were work on the Manhattan Project and the Sparrow and Hawk missile programs. Known for his precision and skill, his mechanical drawings were admired throughout his career.

Dick was also a man of many talents and interests. He was an accomplished woodworker, an avid photographer, and a true jack of all trades. He earned his pilot’s license in 1944 but gave up flying upon marriage.

On October 5, 1946, Dick married Karin (Erickson) Gilley of Wellesley. Together they raised four children—Dana, David, Linda, and Carolyn—in Natick. The family spent many summers at their beloved camp on Lake Winnipesaukee, creating lifelong memories with family and friends. They shared a love of skiing, sailing, and camping, as well as countless gatherings with Karin’s extended family. In later years, Dick and Karin enjoyed traveling up and down the East Coast with their trailer and, after his retirement, embarked on cross-country adventures in their motorhome. Karin predeceased him in 2018 at the age of 96.

He is survived by his loving children: Dana Gilley and his wife, Jane, of Litchfield, NH; David Gilley and his wife, Lyette, of Wellesley; Linda Hemstedt and her fiancé, Gregg Morrissey, of Blackstone; and Carolyn McPherson and her husband, Brian, of Natick. He also leaves behind his cherished grandchildren: the late Karl Gilley and his wife, Kathryn, of Chatham; Erik Gilley and his wife, Molly, of Martha’s Vineyard; Catharine (Gilley) Morris and her husband, Bryant, of Litchfield, NH; Kristina (Gilley) Kemp and her husband, Michael, of Hudson; Richard Gilley and his wife, Stephanie, of Aurora, CO; Jennifer (Hemstedt) Aaron and her husband, Daniel, of Bellingham; and Melissa Hemstedt and her fiancé, Justin Vallee, of Bellingham. He was blessed with seventeen great-grandchildren.

A celebration of Dick’s life will be held at a later date.

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